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Green Bay Packers: Game plan comes up short against 49ers

By Bob McGinnMilwaukee Journal Sentinel

Posted:
01/06/2014 12:01:00 AM CST

Updated:
01/06/2014 08:30:08 AM CST

San Francisco running back Frank Gore (21) reaches to score a touchdown while being held by Green Bay's M.D. Jennings (43) during the second quarter of their wild-card game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group/MCT)

GREEN BAY -- The Green Bay Packers epitomized what it means to sell out against the run late Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers filled the box with extra defenders, doing whatever was necessary to prevent Frank Gore from controlling the game as he had twice against the Packers in 2012.

At the same time, Capers placed the onus squarely on his cornerbacks to cover the receivers of the San Francisco 49ers all over the field and frequently without help.

"It was a great game plan," said cornerback Davon House. "I loved the game plan."

The Packers succeeded to a point, limiting tough guy Gore to 66 yards in 20 carries for a 3.3-yard average. His long gain was just 10 yards.

Capers' cornerbacks also held up against wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin and tight end Vernon Davis.

What killed the Packers in their 23-20 loss in an NFC wild-card game at Lambeau Field was the lightning legs of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Eschewing the zone read, Kaepernick gained most of his 98 yards on old-fashioned scrambles.

The Packers were even more stubborn against the run in their 34-28 loss on opening day at Candlestick Park, holding Gore to merely 44 yards in 21 attempts.

"They've done a good job, especially the last two times stopping the run," said Joe Staley, the 49ers' left tackle. "But Colin was able to make some big plays.

"We were able to take advantage of some of the stuff they were doing.

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Time after time, Capers played a defense in which neither safety was deeper than 5 or 6 yards from the line of scrimmage. Against teams with effective running games this season, Capers usually would play one safety in the box and the other in the middle of the field about 15 yards deep.

"Our game plan was very similar to what we did the first time against them," free safety M.D. Jennings said. "Those guys (the cornerbacks) did a great job covering up in zero man, knowing you have no help over the top."

In effect, Capers was putting the onus on cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Sam Shields, who probably represented the Packers' best defensive position.

Then, lo and behold, Shields suffered a knee injury assisting on a tackle on the 49ers' second play from scrimmage and was done for the night.

It meant that House, who had played very little from scrimmage since midseason, would have to do his part in an arduous tactical assignment.

"We accepted the challenge to try to stop their receivers and their passing game," said House. "We basically said we'll put all the pressure on the corners. We are always up to the challenge of playing one-on-one."

San Francisco's first possession ended with a field goal when House broke up Kaepernick's third-and-goal pass to Crabtree from the 4.

"I knew it would be a back shoulder," House said. "They like to throw that. I played off him and I got a hand on it."

Later in the first quarter, Kaepernick went back to Crabtree once more on third-and-6 from the Green Bay 7. It was a vertical route, but House wouldn't give ground and the pass fell incomplete.

"Just got my hands on him," said House. "Tried to be physical."

Probably House's most difficult coverage came early in the fourth quarter. The Packers loaded nine defenders in the box and House was on Davis by himself.

Kaepernick unloaded the ball about 55 yards in the air to the Green Bay 19, where the 250-pound Davis was trying to box out the 195-pound House. But when the ball arrived waist-high to Davis, House stuck his arm in and knocked it away.

Still, House was angry at himself for not intercepting,

"Tramon and Sam make those plays," he said. "If I want to be here next year I've got to make those plays. I played the receiver instead of the ball. I could have picked it."

The Packers were proud of their work against Gore.

"I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage great," said nose tackle Ryan Pickett. "Our team definitely has a lot of toughness. We lost a lot of guys today. We've got a lot of heart.

"Dom did a great job today. We had good calls. Guys broke tackles. We had too many missed tackles if you ask me. That was our problem. We stopped the run."

The Packers picked their poison in the frigid night air. Kaepernick's legs were the difference.